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The aims of the Part E legislation are :
- To improve acoustics and therefore sound privacy between residential dwellings
- To improve the sound reduction of internal walls and floors within the home
- To improve the sound reduction between rooms and in common areas in hostels, hotels, residential homes, schools, hospitals etc.
- To re-address sound performance criteria, taking into account modern day low frequency sounds such as TV, stereo, etc.
There are two ways in which a developer can demonstrate compliance with Part E1 and E2,
Robust Detail and Pre-Completion Testing.
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Current Acoustic Regulations Table
Element of Constuction -
Internal walls that include a door are exempt from this requirement |
Airborne sound insulation (site test result) minimum value DnTw+Ctr dB |
Impact sound insulation (site test result) maximum value LnTw dB |
Airborne sound insulation (lab test result) minimum value Rw dB |
| Separating walls between dwellings. |
45 Min |
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| Separating walls between rooms used for residential purposes. |
43 Min |
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| Separating walls between rooms created by a change of use. |
43 Min |
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| Separating floors between dwellings and rooms used for residential purposes. |
45 Min |
62 Max |
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| Separating floors between rooms created by a change of use. |
43 Min |
64 Max |
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| An internal wall or floor between a bathroom/W.C. and a habitable room. Also between bedrooms and between bedrooms and any other room in the dwelling. |
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40 Min |
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Robust Details
In order to ensure buildings meet the Part E Standards, Pre-Completion Testing is being enforced. An exception is when a building conforms to a Robust Detail (RD) document, which contains details of those constructions that perform consistently well and do not require on site testing.
The Regulations state that one in ten of each construction type requires testing (selected at the Building Inspector’s discretion). If a failure occurs then the construction will need to be improved and re-tested.
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